Using Search Phrases effectively spans user-side phrasing techniques, admin-side search configuration, and developer-side SOSL query construction. The workflow below covers the standard sequence for designing the search experience in an org.
- Configure searchable fields and search layouts
From Setup, review each major object's search settings. Add searchable fields that should drive findability; remove searchability from fields that should not appear in results. Configure the search layout for each object: which fields appear in the search results columns, what the default ordering is, what filters are available. Test the configuration with realistic searches to confirm the right records surface for the right phrases.
- Train users on phrasing techniques
Provide brief training on effective search phrasing: use more specific terms for better results, use wildcards for prefix searches, use quotes for exact-phrase matches, scope to a specific object when the global results are too noisy. Document the search tips in the team's quick-reference guide. The training is brief but meaningful because users who know how to phrase queries find records significantly faster than users who do not.
- Build custom search experiences for specific workflows
For workflows where the standard global search does not match the user's needs, build custom search experiences through Lightning Components or Visualforce with Apex SOSL queries. The custom search can target specific objects, apply specific filters, and present results in a workflow-specific format. Examples include the Knowledge article search inside the Case console, the Account-bound contact search on Opportunity creation, the Lead duplicate-check on Lead conversion. Each custom search uses SOSL with carefully tuned phrasing and result handling.
- Monitor search usage and adjust
Use Lightning Usage and Event Monitoring data to track how users actually search: what phrases they use, what results they click, what searches return zero results. The data drives ongoing search tuning: adjust the searchable field configuration based on what queries fail, add synonym dictionaries through Einstein Search Insights if appropriate, train users on phrasing that consistently performs poorly. The optimization is ongoing rather than one-time; as data and user patterns change, search performance changes correspondingly.
- Long text fields have indexing constraints. Very long phrases may not match if the relevant text is in a particularly large field.
- Encrypted fields under Shield Platform Encryption are typically not searchable unless deterministic encryption is configured.
- Wildcards have specific behavior: they work at the end of tokens but not in the middle in most contexts.
- Relevance ranking is opaque. Users sometimes see surprising orderings; the fix is more specific phrasing rather than ranking adjustments.
- Custom search through SOSL has its own governor limits. High-volume search workloads need careful query design.